This invention relates to a safe and effective plastic curb and gutter which is advantageously employed along the side of public roadways as well as on trails and gardens on private property. More particularly this invention relates to a flexible plastic curb and gutter which is extremely unlikely to contribute to a vehicle overturning or becoming airborne. The invention discloses a design which is inexpensive to instal and is particularly effective as a water channelling and erosion reducing device. It has particular advantage on sloped and curved roadways having a guard rail.
The applicants own and operate a company which instals concrete curbs and gutters along the side of public roadways. The installation of concrete curbs and gutters is time consuming. Concrete curbs are machine formed or hand formed, poured, finished, and then stripped of the forms. The demand for concrete curbs and asphalt erosion control curbs is falling substantially. Statistics have implicated concrete curbs as a contributing cause of many serious accidents. When a vehicle""s wheels hit a curb, the vehicle""s wheels are thrust into the air causing loss of control and possibly even vehicle overturn. The vehicle, out of control, is then likely to be hit by other vehicles. A large percentage of all vehicle rollovers are caused when motorists drive off roads onto soft shoulders and then attempt to re-enter traffic. A safer curb is needed.
In the mountainous regions of Colorado there are many roads which slope and have curves and guardrail running along the curved portion of the roadway. Typically the guard rail is supported in an elevated position by an upright steel or wood member. To protect the gravel between and around the upright members from erosion, concrete or asphalt curbs and now recently wooden boards are anchored to and between the upright members immediately above the ground. Attaching the wooden boards to the upright members is difficult. The boards then become a high maintenance item, not to mention a waste of natural resources. And most notably they are minimally effective in preventing erosion. Along a stretch of inclined roadway a substantial volume of water may run off, and stream along beside the roadway. Where the road curves the boards attempt to turn this stream of water. First there is a problem with wash over and under the boards. Then there is a problem with erosion undermining the gravel within which the upright members are anchored. An enormous amount of money has been spent, and much money is expended annually on restoring eroded guardrail support, shoulder material and asphalt breakage on roadways. But no durably satisfactory solution to this long standing problem has been found.
It is an object of this invention to disclose a safe curb and gutter which is substantially less likely to overturn a vehicle when its wheels strike the curb. It is yet a further object of this invention to disclose a curb and gutter which is very effective as a gutter in handling large volumes of runoff water streaming down along beside a curving road. It is yet a further object of this invention to disclose a curb which will improve road safety by reducing erosion along roads. It is yet a further object of this invention to reduce road maintenance required by damage to curbs caused by snow ploughs. It is yet a further object of this invention to significantly reduce the cost of material and installation labor expended in the installation of curbs. The installation cost of the disclosed curbs under guard rails may can be less than one tenth of the conventional cost of such installations. And these curbs will be substantially more effective and require substantially less maintenance. It is yet a further object of this invention to disclose a curb which is substantially more durable and maintenance free than conventional curbs. It is estimated that the disclosed curbs will have a life and durability which triples that of conventional concrete or asphalt curbs. It is yet a final object of this invention to eliminate the steps of painting and maintaining a mark indicating the edge of a road.
One aspect of this invention provides for a method of installing a curb along side of a road having a lower layer prior to laying a top layer of asphalt on the road comprising comprising the following steps. a) Providing elongated curb strips each having i) a generally horizontal lower holding side portion having spaced openings cut therealong, said lower holding side portion adapted to be seated parallel to the edge of the road on the outer edge portion of the lower layer, and beneath the top layer of asphalt so that the elongated strip is secured in position therebetween by adhesion between the layers through the spaced openings therealong; and, ii) a uniformly continuous and unbroken upright trough portion having a lower edge portion continuously attached to the outer edge of the generally horizontal side portion, and an upper edge portion adapted to extend above the top layer of asphalt so that water running off the road is channelled along an inner side of the upright trough portion parallel to the edge of the road. b) Positioning the elongated strips end to end, each along and attached to an outer side of the lower layer so that the upright portion of each strip extends upwardly above and outwardly away from the outer side of the lower layer. And finally, c) laying the top layer of asphalt generally above and on the lower layer thereby permanently securing the elongated strips in position by adhesion between the layers through the openings in the generally horizontal holding side portions of the elongated strips. Water running off the road will be channelled along an inner side portion of the continuous and unbroken upright trough portions of the elongated strips.
A preferred method of the invention further comprises the step of attaching the strips 20 to the lower layer 18 prior to laying the top layer of asphalt 16. In yet another embodiment of the invention the method comprises providing a curb strip as above which has a continuous descending side portion having an inner edge portion continuously attached to the outer edge portion of the upright trough portion. The upright trough portion and the descending portion together form a rounded portion which flattens under force.
Various other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.